A Sprinkle on the Roof
by enthusiasticnarwhal
Summary: The story of "Fiddler on the Roof" from the perspective of Tevye's fourth daughter, Shprintze! This will go scene-by-scene, showing what Shprintze is thinking as her family and her definitions of tradition and marriage slowly begin to change..
1. Prologue: Tradition!

A sprinkle on the roof. Sounds crazy, no? But in our little village of Anatevka, you might say-

Oh wait, Papa is supposed to say that.

Silly me! I forgot; Papa is supposed to tell you all about our village, and metaphors involving musical instruments, and keeping our balance, and all of that. But how about I tell you about it from my perspective? I mean, why not learn about the old traditions of a Russian village from the point of view of a 12 year old?

Ahem.

So, let's see here… metaphor… scratching out a simply tune… oh, right! You might be wondering how we keep our balance in this little village of ours! Well, that I can tell you in one word… (which I will then repeat six times to make sure you understand the importance of that word) Tradition!

_"TRADITION, TRADITION! … TRADITION! TRADITION, TRADITION! … TRADITION!"_

Did you hear that? Did you hear those people sing? (singing the song of Jewish men. It is the music of a people who will sing that word again!)

Good. I thought I was going crazy! You see, that is something you will learn about our village. People seem to break out into song every now and then; it is quite strange. But it's a tradition, I suppose! And because of these songs – I mean, traditions – everyone knows who he is and what God expects them to do.

Oh, look! Here comes my Papa!

_"Who, day and night, must scramble for a living? Feed a wife and children? Say his daily prayers? And who has the right, as master of the house, to have the final word at home?"_

See, I don't know how they do it! A bunch of fathers from around the village just all knew what to sing in unison. However, they gave a pretty good description of my Papa, and all the other fathers in this village. My Papa's name is Tevye, and he is a milkman. He works very hard to support all of us, and still manages to keep a humorous and lively attitude! I admire my Papa very much.

Though I'm not sure how much my Mama admires him… Here comes Mama with some of her friends now!

_"Who must know the way to make a proper home, a quiet home, a kosher home? Who must raise a family and run the home, so Papa's free to read the Holy Book?"_

That's my Mama! While Papa is working hard delivering milk, Mama is working hard at home. She cleans until everything is spotless, and she makes sure that my sisters and I are nice, well behaved girls.

Let's see, who is next in the descriptions… Ah! The sons!

_"At three I started Hebrew school; at ten I learned a trade. I hear they picked a bride for me, I hope she's pretty!"_

Ah, the sons. Sometimes, I think that Mama and Papa wished they had sons instead of five daughters… anyways. See that one? He is the Rabbi's son. Don't tell anyone I told you this, but I think my sister Hodel wants to be picked as his match!

Oh, that's right; I haven't told you about my sisters and I! Here; some of the other village daughters and I will tell you what it is like to be a daughter in this village.

_"And who does Mama teach to mend and tend and fix? Preparing me to marry whoever Papa picks?"_

Like I said earlier, Mama spends her time teaching us how to be good wives in the future by making sure we can clean, and cook, and all of that important traditional stuff. I think Mama's greatest aspiration in life is to marry each of her daughters off to nice men. Sometimes I wonder if there is a nice man out there, waiting to be matched with me… but then I remember that I'm the second youngest of five daughters, and that my older sisters have to be matched first!

Right, right; it's about time I told you about my sisters. My oldest sister is named Tzeitel. She can be quite like Mama in that she does what she is supposed to do, but she can be sassy and silly, too. Tzeitel has this friend, Motel, who she hangs out with a lot. Sometimes my other sisters and I will tease her, saying that Motel and she should get matched up together! That's when she will blush and go into older sister mode, telling us to get back to our chores. I think Tzeitel will make a lovely bride one day… hopefully, someday soon! :)

My second oldest sister is named Hodel. She can be kind of quiet, but when she does speak, she is witty and makes me giggle! She looks out for her little sisters and never fails to make us smile. I've always looked up to Hodel for being so positive.

Then there is Chava. She is the dreamer of the family! Chava is only a few years older than I am, so we are rather close. We talk about everything; specifically about possible matches, and about what she reads in her books. She always has her nose stuck in a book; she really is a funny girl, that Chava!

Next in the line of sisters is me, Shprintze! I like my name, because it means "hope" in Yiddish. However, no one ever seems to pronounce it correctly! Oh well. There isn't much to learn about me; all I really do is obey my parents and play with my sisters.

My younger sister is named Bielke. Chava and I might be close, but Bielke and I do everything together! After all, we are only a year or so apart. Bielke and I have lots of fun playing all sorts of games – that is, when we aren't doing our chores.

There you have it! Those are my sisters.

Now, who else am I supposed to tell you about… oh! How could I forget? Yente, the matchmaker!

There she is over there, talking to a man named Avram about a match for his son. Yente is a very important part of our community. Without her, we wouldn't have anyone to decide who should be married with whom!

Oh, and there's that beggar, Nahum. I kind of feel bad for him, but then again, most of us in Anatevka are poor.

Look! The rabbi! He is probably the most important man in our whole village. Everyone is getting all quiet to hear what his son is asking him…

"Rabbi, is there a proper blessing for the Tsar?"

The rabbi doesn't even hesitate! "A blessing for the Tsar? Of course. May God bless and keep the tsar… far away from us!"

We have quite the humorous rabbi!

There are a few other authority figures in this village, though. His Honor the Priest is one that we particularly don't bother. Also, there is His Honor the Constable. He may not be Jewish, but my Papa is somewhat friends with him.

Even though there are some who are not Jewish in our village, everyone seems to get along rather well. Eeek, maybe not right now though! Two men are causing a ruckus, arguing that one man sold the other a mule when he said it was a horse.

"It was a horse."

"It was a mule!"

"It was a **HORSE**!"

"**IT WAS A MULE**!"

Oh dear, now everyone is fighting! Surely it must have been a horse. Why would someone trick the other like that?

_"HORSE!"_

_"MULE!"_

_"HORSE!"_

_"MULE!"_

And here we go again with the breaking into song thing:

_"TRADITION, TRADITION… TRADITION!"_

Good, now everyone seems to be leaving.

"Come on, Sprinkles! Let's go get those logs for Mama."

Well, Bielke and I are going to go skip offstage – I mean, back home – now. Thanks for listening! Hopefully this gave you a good idea of what tradition is all about. I still am a little shaky sometimes as to knowing what tradition is all about… You could say my belief in tradition can get as shaky as…

As a sprinkle on the roof!


	2. Chapter 1: My Mother, the Sassafras

"Mama, where should we put these?" I asked as Bielke and I entered the kitchen carrying logs.

Mama stopped what she was doing to shoot me a sharp look. "Put them on my head!" She said, her voice dripping with sarcasm and sass. "By the stove, foolish girl. Where is Chava?"

Hodel, who was on the other side of the room cleaning with Tzeitel, answered Mama while Bielke and I scurried away with the logs. I was a little embarrassed that Mama had snapped at me in front of my sisters like that. Then again, she was like that with everyone.

"When will Papa be home?" Bielke asked.

Mama sighed. "It's almost Sabbath and he worries a_ lot_ when he'll be home! All day long riding on top of his wagon like a prince.." She said, throwing her hands in the air.

"Mama, you know that Papa works hard." Tzeitel said in rebuttal. Bielke and I were finishing up with the logs and watching this conversation unfold. We gave each other a look that meant,_ "Here we go again!"_ Tzeitel and Mama sometimes clashed a little due to their personalities being so similar.

"His horse works harder!" Mama exclaimed as Tzeitel walked out the kitchen door to the well. "And you don't have to defend your Papa to me! I know him longer than you." Mama sighed and looked down, almost talking to herself now. "He could drive a person crazy. He should only live and be well…"She quickly turned her head to see Bielke and I watching the whole thing. I was afraid she would snap at me, but instead she ordered me to bring her more potatoes.

I walked out the front door just as Chava came in through the kitchen door. I mentally wished her the best, knowing that Mama's current attitude meant Chava might be in for some sassy comments, too.

I try not to be bothered by Mama's sassiness. I know that she only cares about us, and that the sass is most likely due to the fact that she has a lot on her mind. Maybe she gets tired of my questions about cleaning because she has already been through them with my older sisters…

With the basket of potatoes in my hand, I started for the door. Suddenly, I saw something out of the corner of my eye. Could it be? I ran inside quickly, eager to tell Mama something that could change her attitude.

"Mama!" I exclaimed excitedly, rushing up to the other doorway where she still stood. "Yente's coming! She's down the road!"

I was pleased to see Mama's face go from crinkled in exasperation to somewhat shocked and excited.

"Maybe she's finally found a good match for you, Tzeitel." Hodel said in a light tone. Bielke and I smiled and suppressed giggles of excitement as we finished cleaning up.

"From your mouth to God's ears!" Mama said.

Tzeitel looked worried, though. "Why does she have to come now? It's almost Sabbath..."

Mama cut her off sternly. "Go finish in the barn. I want to talk to Yente alone." She ordered.

I nudged Bielke and timidly walked forward. "Mama, can I go out and play?"

"You have feet? Go." She said, which I was happy with regardless of the slight sass.

Bielke stepped forward excitedly. "Can I go too?"

Mama smiled. "Go too."

Bielke and I happily skipped out the door, but as the door was shutting, we could hear Tzeitel start complaining to Mama. Oh well; I wasn't too concerned. All I was focused on was the fact that my chores were done and I could play!

"Catch me if you can!" Bielke shouted as she took off towards the barn. I laughed and took my skirt in my hands, lifting it away from my shoes so I could run faster.

"I caught you!" I shrieked as my hand grasped Bielke's shirt sleeve. She whipped around and grabbed my other hand, twirling us both so that we started spinning around and around until we fell in a heap on the ground, laughing and shoving each other playfully.

Once we caught our breath and calmed down a little, we sat against the barn and began contemplating what Yente and Mama could be talking about.

"Do you think Yente has found matches for us all?" Bielke questioned.

I rolled my eyes and chuckled. "I think it will be a little while before Yente finds matches for all of us." I noticed Motel, Tzeitel's friend, walking towards the house. "But maybe Yente has found a match for one of our sisters…" I said quietly, nudging Bielke so she saw him too.

"Good evening, girls. Is Tzeitel home?" Motel asked us quietly. He has always seemed rather shy.

"Why don't you go in and find out?" Bielke said with a grin.

Motel nodded, and thanked us.

"Did he seem a little distracted to you?" I asked once he had walked up to the door.

Bielke shrugged. "He always is like that! The real question is, does this mean that Yente could be matching up Motel and Tzeitel?" Bielke suggested wistfully.

I giggled. "I sure hope so!" Taking Bielke's hand, I stood up and urged her to follow me. "Come on; let's go find Chava and Hodel to see what they think!"

"I bet I can get to them first!" Bielke challenged me.

I shook my head and smiled, and then we were off.


	3. Matchmaker - Wait, we break into song?

Bielke and I bounded up to the door just in time to see Tzeitel give our other sisters a cross look. We crouched behind the door that was cracked slightly open. I looked at Bielke questioningly, wondering if we should leave them alone. However, just then, Tzeitel said something that sparked our interests.

"I'm not anxious for Yente to find me a husband." She said sharply.

Chava dipped her mop in a bucket and gave Tzeitel a wry smile. "Not unless it's Motel, the tailor!"

"I didn't ask you!" Tzeitel snapped while Bielke and I suppressed laughter. While Hodel tried to reason with our oldest sister, I whispered to Bielke that we could go in there and pretend to help clean up the kitchen while they were talking and mopping the floor.

Chava gave us a smile as we walked in, but then went back to paying attention to what Hodel was saying.

"Well, somebody has to arrange the matches. Young people can't decide these things for themselves." Hodel stated calmly.

Chava had a dreamy look in her eyes as she continued, "She might bring someone wonderful…"

"Someone interesting…" Hodel indulged.

"And well-off!" Chava clutched her mop and took a step towards Hodel, smiling wide.

"And important!" Hodel continued with a sparkle in her eyes. She then stared off into the distance and… began to sing!

"_Matchmaker, matchmaker, make me a match. Find me a find, catch me a catch! Matchmaker, matchmaker, look through your book and make me a perfect match!"_

Bielke and I looked at each other and giggled as Hodel swayed about the room. Suddenly, Chava began singing!

"_Matchmaker, matchmaker, I'll bring the veil. You bring the groom, slender and pale! Bring me a ring, for I'm longing to be the envy of all I see!"_

We looked over to Tzeitel, but she seemed to be trying to ignore the sudden song that had broken out between Hodel and Chava. Bielke and I just tried to look like we were still cleaning as we gazed at our sisters' abrupt performance.

Hodel stepped towards Chava. "_For Papa, make him a scholar!"_

Chava smiled mischievously as she suggested in song, "_For Mama, make him rich as a king!"_

Then they both smiled and sang, "_For me, well, I wouldn't holler if he were as handsome as anything!"_ Bielke and I giggled, Tzeitel rolled her eyes, and Chava and Hodel just kept on singing! "_Matchmaker, matchmaker, make me a match! Find me a find! Catch me a catch! Night after night in the dark I'm alone, so find me a match of my own."_

Then, the two went back to cleaning. Just like that! Bielke and I looked at each other with pure confusion written all over our faces. Why had they just randomly started singing about their fantasies for husbands? Were we supposed to join in? Like, was that a thing…?

Tzeitel stepped up to Chava with her this-older-sister-means-business face on. "Since when are you interested in a match, Chava? I though you just had your eye on your books."

Hodel and Bielke chuckled, and I playfully swatted my younger sister with a rag. We didn't want to get caught eaves dropping. After all, this was a pretty interesting conversation! (or songversation?... no?)

Tzeitel turned quickly to Hodel. "And you have your eye on the Rabbi's son."

Oh my, Tzeitel just called her _out_ on that! She was certainly being feisty today.

Hodel just smiled and shook it off. "Why not? We only have one Rabbi, and he only has one son. Why shouldn't I want the best?"

"Because you're a girl from a poor family!" Tzeitel said in exasperation. "So whatever Yente brings, you'll take. Right?" Suddenly, she had a sly look on her face. "Of course right!"

Tzeitel must not have been happy that her comebacks weren't having the effect she wanted on Hodel and Chava. So she- oh goodness, is she going to break into song now, too?

"_Hodel, oh Hodel, have I made a match for you!"_ Was Tzeitel pretending to be Yente? "_He's handsome, he's young – alright, he's sixty two. But he's a nice man, a good catch! True? True."_ Hodel seemed quite put-off by this weird Yente impersonation Tzeitel was suddenly giving her. "_I promise you'll be happy, and even if you're not, there's more to life than that… don't ask me what."_

The smile that had been on Hodel's lips since she sang had turned into a confused frown. Bielke and I had completely abandoned pretending to clean as we quickly followed Tzeitel over to Chava to hear the next part of this ominous matchmaking song.

"_Chava! I've found him! Will you be a lucky bride. He's handsome, he's tall – that is, from side to side."_ A look of horror and disbelief spread across Chava's face as Tzeitel rushed on with her description. "_But he's a nice man, a good catch. Right? Right. You heard he has a temper. He'll beat you every night! But only when he's sober… so you're alright."_

Oh dear! I wanted to go up and give Chava and hug, but Tzeitel didn't quite seem done yet. "_Did you think you'd get a prince? Well, I do the best I can." _She stepped forward and started practically shouting. "_With no dowry, no money, no family background, be glad you've got a man!"_

I looked at Bielke and motioned towards our sisters, and she nodded in agreement. We ran up to console our distraught older sisters; Bielke went to Hodel's side as I went to Chava's. I put my hand on her shoulder, and she gave me a look that seemed to say, '_Can you believe it?' _I just shook my head and took the mop away from her, giving her a moment to collect her thoughts. Apparently, collecting her thoughts meant breaking into song again.

"_Matchmaker, matchmaker, you know that I'm still very young. Please… take your time."_ She sang softly.

Hodel continued, "_Up to this minute I misunderstood that I could get stuck for good!"_

Chava and Hodel stepped together and began to sing a desperate plea. "_Dear Yente, see that he's gentile!"_ Suddenly, Tzeitel joined in. I wondered how they all knew the right words to sing! "_Remember, you were also a bride."_

Then, I had this weird feeling. Something compelled me to step forward and join hands with my sisters. Then, all at once, I understood. I knew what to sing, because in that moment, the five of us sisters shared a unique bond (that just so happened to be in musical form) in which we all were connected to each other and felt the same things. "_It's not that I'm sentimental… It's just that __**I'm terrified!"**_

"_Matchmaker, matchmaker, plan me no plans! I'm in no rush! Maybe I've learned, playing with matches… a girl can get burned."_

We all paused, then picked up our skirts and began stepping in beat with the words that we were singing so passionately. "_So, bring me no ring! Groom me no groom! Find me no find! Catch me no catch!"_ We clasped our hands together, and suddenly my spirit soared as we concluded in beautiful harmony, "_Unless he's a matchless match!"_

We skipped to the beat that we somehow all knew, then ended with a flourish.

The five of us caught our breath for a moment, then smiled and giggled a little, realizing that if anyone saw that it would seem quite silly and ridiculous.

Tzeitel now had a smile on her face as she lightly said, "Alright, let's get back to preparing for Sabbath."

And just like that, things were back to normal, as if we hadn't just broke out into song.

_My family is quite strange! _I thought as I picked up a rag and began cleaning the table. I sighed in content and took a good look at all of my sisters, realizing how thankful I was that we all shared that connection – and those fears about future husbands!


End file.
